Michael O’Neal – World Religions. Reference library (6 Volume set)

Автор: Michael O’Neal
Название книги: World Religions. Reference library (6 Volume set)
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Философия
Страницы: 269+223+207+199+218+66
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

Religion influences the views and actions of
many people in the world today in both political
and personal ways. In some instances religious
fervor compels people to perform selfless
acts of compassion, while in others it spurs
them to bitter warfare. Religion opens some
people to all humanity but restricts others to remain
loyal to small groups.
In general, religion can be described as a
unified system of thought, feeling, and action
that is shared by a group and that gives its members
an object of devotion—someone or something
sacred to believe in, such as a god or a
spiritual concept. Religion also involves a code
of behavior or personal moral conduct by
which individuals may judge the personal and
social consequences of their actions and the
actions of others. Most of the time, religion
also deals with what might be called the supernatural
or the spiritual, about forces and a
power beyond the control of humans. In this
function, religion attempts to answer questions
that science does not touch, such as the meaning
of life and what happens after death.
Perhaps one of the most amazing things
about religion is that there is no commonly
held way of looking at it. Yet most of the
world’s population participates in it in one
way or another. Though hard to define, religion
seems to be a universal experience and need. Of
the nearly 6.5 billion people on Earth, only
about 16 percent (about 1.1. billion) say they
do not believe in a god or do not believe in a
specific religion. The rest of the world’s population
belongs to one of more than twenty different
major religions.
Features and Format
World Religions: Almanac covers the history, traditions,
and worldviews of dominant and less
prominent religions and their sects and offshoots.
This title examines the development of
religions throughout history and into modern
times: their philosophies and practices, sacred
texts and teachings, effects on everyday life,
influences on society and culture, and more.
The two-volume set features eighteen chapters
on today’s prominent world religions and
also explores ancient beliefs, such as those of
Egypt and Mesopotamia; smaller movements
like that of neo-paganism and Bahaı´; and philosophies,
including those of ancient Greece and
Rome, agnosticism, and atheism. In addition, an introductory chapter, ‘‘What Is Religion?,’’
explores the concept of religion in more depth.
Numerous black-and-white images illustrate
the text, while sidebars highlight interesting
people and fascinating facts connected with
the world’s religions. The title includes a glossary,
a timeline, research and activity ideas,
sources for further reading, and a subject index.
World Religions Reference Library
World Religions: Almanac is only one component
of the three-part World Religions Reference
Library. The set also includes a twovolume
set of biographies and one volume of
primary source documents:

World Religions: Biographies (two volumes)
presents the biographies of fifty men and
women who have played a critical role in
the world’s religions throughout history.
Among those profiled are Abraham,
whose influence is seen in three of the
modern world’s most influential religions:
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; Muhammad,
considered the final and most important
prophet by Muslims; and Siddhartha
Gautama, who became known as the
Buddha. Modern figures include the
Hindu teacher Swami Vivekananda and
Baha´


u


lla´h, the founder of the Baha´


ı´
faith. Women who made significant
impacts on religion are also featured,
including Mother Maria Skobtsova, an
Orthodox Christian nun who worked to
save many during the Holocaust.

World Religions: Primary Sources (one volume)
offers eighteen excerpted writings,
speeches, and sacred texts from across
the religious spectrum. The selections
are grouped into three thematic chapters:
Creation Stories and Foundation Myths;
Characteristics of the Divine; and Religion
as a Guide to Living. The first
explores the creation stories of religions,
such as those relayed in Islam’s Qur


an,
and foundational myths, such as the one
told in Black Elk Speaks, that provide a
unifying cultural basis for many people.
The second chapter, Characteristics of
the Divine, explores the aspects and personalities
of God or the gods as revealed
through religious documents such as
The Epic of Gilgamesh and Swami Vivekananda’s
‘‘Paper on Hinduism.’’ The final
chapter examines how religion provides
guidelines that people can use in their everyday
lives. These include selections
from the Christian Bible; the Avesta, the
sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism; and
Emma Goldman’s essay ‘‘The Philosophy
of Atheism.’’